Tuesday, 13 March 2012

In Haaretz today Bradley Burston attacks pro-Palestine 'leftists' for failing to condemn rocket fire but in the very same article is unable to condemn the deaths of at least 26 Palestinians (and more than 100 wounded) over the past four days. By way of a rebuff to Burston, see the video above on Democracy Now featuring the founder of The Electronic Intifada, Ali Abunimah, one of the targets of Burston's myopic tirade, speaking out in defence of the Palestinians under siege and under attack in Gaza.

democracynow.org - As Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip reportedly agree to a ceasefire after four days of cross-border violence, we speak with Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the online publication, "The Electronic Intifada." Earlier today, an Egyptian official said both sides have pledged to end current attacks and implement "a comprehensive and mutual calm." Israel's latest strikes on Gaza killed at least 25 Palestinians. At least 80 Palestinians were also wounded, most of them civilians. At least four Israelis in border towns were wounded in rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza. The rocket attacks began after an Israeli air strike killed Zuhair al-Qaisi, the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, on Friday. Most of the Palestinian victims were killed on Saturday, making it the deadliest 24-hour period Gaza has seen since the Israeli attack in December 2008 and January 2009 when some 1,400 Palestinians were killed, most of them civilians. "Israel presents this as they're attacking terrorists who are en route to commit some kind of attack, and that's the claim they always make," Abunimah says. "But in fact, in almost every case, they're attacking people in their homes, riding in cars, just walking in the street."

(Reuters) - Israel and militant factions in the Gaza Strip have agreed to an Egyptian-brokered truce to end four days of cross-border violence in which 25 Palestinians have been killed, a senior Egyptian security official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The official said in a telephone call from Cairo that both sides had "agreed to end the current operations", with Israel giving an unusual undertaking to "stop assassinations", and an overall agreement "to begin a comprehensive and mutual calm".

The agreement was set to take effect at 1 a.m. local time (7.00 p.m. EDT). Previous ceasefire deals after earlier rounds of fighting have often got off to a shaky start.

"There is an understanding," Israeli Civil Defense Minister Matan Vilnai told Israel Radio. "At the moment the direction is toward calm and it appears, unless there are last minute developments, that this round is now behind us."

A Palestinian official close to the talks said "the factions are committed", alluding to the Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees, who were most active in the fighting, but that these groups were waiting to see how Israel would respond. more